Beater release means for electric mixers



April 1950 A. c. DE ANGELIS ETAL 2,931,632

BEATER RELEASE MEANS FOR ELECTRIC MIXERS Original Filed Sept. 15, 1955 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS. ANGELO C. DE ANGELIS HARRY E. BUTTERFIELD, JR.

I' 1960 A. c. DE ANGELIS ETAL 2,931,632

BEATER RELEASE MEANS FOR ELECTRIC MIXERS 0riginal Filed Sept. 15, 1955 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS v ANGELO C. DE ANGELIS HARRY E. BUTTERFIELD,JR.

United States Patent 2,931,632 BEATER RELEASE MEANS non ELECTRIC MIXERSAngelo C. De Angelis, New Shrewsbury, and Harry E. Buttertield, Jr.,Maplewond, N.J., assignors, by mesne assignments, to DynamicsCorporation of America, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New YorkOriginal application September 15, 1955, Serial No. 534,499, now PatentNo. 2,812,166, dated November 5, 1957. Divided and this applicationAugust 5, 1957, Serial No. 676,339

1 Claim. (Cl. 259-.-1)

This invention relates to improvements in electric motor driven mixersand is concerned more particularly with portable food and beveragemixers known as hand mixers.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved devicefrom the standpoints of adaptability for varied uses, convenience ofmanipulation, economy of manufacture and durability in use.

Another particular object of the invention is to provide improved beaterblade ejecting means which is composed of a minimum number of parts andwhich may be conveniently manipulated for releasing the beater bladesfrom their support in driving connection with the motor for washing orcleaning.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed explanation taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the principlesof the invention has been selected for exemplification.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is an enlarged side elevational view of the device partly insection to show the beater releasing means;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device partly in section;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 looking inthe direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 3 looking inthe direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the beater shaft.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like designationsrefer to like parts, the device in its essentials is composed of a tophousing 10 including an integral handle 12 which may, if desired, bemolded from any suitable plastic material. As shown in Fig. l, thehandle 12 slopes rearwardly and downwardly at a convenient angle forgrasping by the user. The bottom housing 14 is preferably cast of metaland the two housings are detachably secured together by screws or thelike 16. The beater means may be of conventional construction andincludes a shaft 20 rotatably supported in the bottom housing as willhereinafter be described.

The electric motor (not shown) may also be of conventional constructionand includes a shaft 22 having a driving worm 24 at its forward end.

The worm 24 of the motor drive shaft 22, as best shown in Fig. 3, is indriving engagement with opposed gears 42 which may be pressed onvertical hollow gear shafts 44 having split bottom extremities forreception of the upper ends of the beater shafts 20. The split ends ofthe shafts 44 carry annular snap rings 46 beyond which projecting lugs48 on the upper end of the beater shafts 20 may be thrust so that thekeyed portions 50 of the beater shafts are in driven engagement with thegear ICE shafts or driving barrels 44. Plate 51 retains packing greasearound the worm and gear assembly. The upper extremities 52 of the shaft20 project upwardly through and above the hollow shafts 44, as shown.

For ejecting the beater shafts 20 from their support within the bottomhousing 14 as above described, a beater release lever 54 is providedwhich is pivotally supported on a roll pin 56 which in turn is supportedby upright posts extending upwardly of the bottom housing 14. As shown,the beater release lever 54 includes an integral yoke arm 58 which bearsagainst the upper projecting ends 52 of the beater shafts 20 and anintegral upright arm 60 provided with a thrust button 62 which, asshown, is accessible from the front exterior of the top housing. Therelease lever 54 is normally heldin the position shown in Fig. 5 and insolid lines in Fig. 4 by the spring 64 and, as will be apparent from thebroken line positions shown in Fig. 4, when the button 62 is pressedinwardly the arm 58 will thrust the lugs 48 of the shafts 20 downwardlyof the locking rings 46 whereby to eject the beater assemblies from thehousing. It will also be apparent, particularly from Figs. 5 and 6, thatthe lugs 48 are of arcuate configuration such as to exert a cam actionagainst the surrounding rings 46 as the lugs are pushed past the rings.Thus, the rings 46 act as injector and ejector springs abruptly to snapthe shafts 20 in locking driven engagement with the driving barrels 44as the lugs are pushed upwardly past the rings and abruptly to releasethe shafts as the lugs are urged downwardly past the rings. The latterfunction is particularly important since it enables the shafts to bespring ejected from the housing 14 in contrast with mere gravity fall.

For the operation of the device, a cord or conduit 76 is provided forconnection with an outlet for a source of electric current andmulti-speed switch means indicated in its entirety at 78 is preferablyprovided such as shown, for example, in Patent Nos. 2,707,741 or2,708,227. Such a switch is preferably mounted in the forward portion ofthe handle 12 in the manner claimed in Patent No. 2,719,238, datedSeptember 27, 1955.

'It is to be understood that the specific construction and arrangementsof parts herein illustrated and described are for exemplary purposesonly and that the principles of the invention embrace all suchvariations and modifications thereof as come within the scope of thefollowing claim.

This application is a division of our application Serial No. 534,499,filed September 15, 1955, for Electric Mixer, now US. Patent No.2,812,166, issued November 5, 1957.

We claim:

In an electric motor driven portable mixer including a motor, a housingtherefor, a handle above said housing, two motor driven beater meansdepending from the bottom of said housing, each of said heater meansincluding a shaft having a free end extending upwardly within saidhousing and held within said housing by a spring retaining means, theimprovement which comprises, a rod secured horizontally within the upperforward section of said housing and below said handle, a heater releaselever pivotally supported by said rod, said release lever having twointegral fingers extending within said housing and bearing against thefree ends of said shafts, a button attached to said release lever, saidbutton extending above said rod and through an opening in the forwardportion of the housing and below said handle, spring means within saidhousing for biasing said relase lever in a direction about said bar toforce said button outwardly, whereby pressure on the outer portion ofsaid button rotates said release lever about said rod and causes saidfingers to overcome the bias of said spring retaining means and ejectsaid heaters from said housing.

Refgrences Cited in the .file 0f this patent 4 Krause July 18, 1950Robertson Sept. 4, 1951 Schott Mar. 20, 1956 Schoen May 8, 1956 Kuhagenet a1 July 9, 1957 De Angelis et a1. Nov. 5, 1957

